WIPocalypse 2015 - June 2015

I thought I was going to have a get-together with my local friends to tell you about, but we had to reschedule it by a week or two (still finalizing), so I'm going to go ahead with this month's update and just catch you up on *both* of my get-togethers next time (or maybe save one for each of the two July updates, we'll see). Let's see what this month's topic has in store for us.

Topic: Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in summer or winter?

I tend to stitch more during the "extremes" of the weather, be that the dead of winter or the heat of summer (here in HOT-lanta). I don't seem to do much in the spring or fall, at least according to my blog archives. I'm so "patchy" with my stitching, it's really hard to say. Although now that I'm sitting here trying to figure out why, it probably has a lot to do with the television schedule! LOL I am actually *not* one to stitch while I watch TV. I feel like I miss too much of the show and I make too many mistakes counting. But over the winter TV break and during the summer hiatus, there isn't all that much to watch, so I tend to stitch more during those times, especially during baseball games. Not that I don't love baseball (I really do!), but it doesn't require my full and complete attention. I can look up for each pitch/play, then go back to my work. Interesting, I'd never really thought about it before! Thanks for the great question.

So, are you ready to see my impressive progress pictures?

Baked Alaska, by Glendon Place

What, you don't see it? Look at the far right of each picture. I finished the corner, woohoo!

So that's it. And I don't mean that's all I did on Baked Alaska. I mean that's all I did, period! I actually forced myself  to squeeze in a few strands the last week of May just so I would have *something* to show you. (That's about 4 strands.) We were just ridiculously busy between visiting family, the end of school, and traveling for Memorial Day weekend. Whew!

But I do have a few more pictures for you, just for the fun of it. I did a little shopping.

Weeks Dye Works 30ct Linen in Gunmetal

This is Weeks Dye Works 30 count linen in Gunmetal. I actually ordered this fabric back in February, I think, but it's been back ordered because the huge popularity of the Hands On Design Year In Chalk Series (no affiliation, just a happy customer). It finally arrived in May. Now I just have to cut it apart, get the fibers (didn't see the point until the fabric arrived), and start stitching them!

More Glendon Place Dessert Mandalas

I also decided to finish up my Glendon Place Dessert Mandala collection. I had six of them; may as well go on and get the other four, yes? Top L-R: Strawberry Shortcake, Cherries Jubilee; Bottom L-R: Rainbow Parfait, Pumpkin Swirl. Sorry for the funky camera angle. I had to take the pictures inside, so I was trying to get enough light for the picture to show well and avoid the glare of the overhead light on the plastic.

Needle Minders from Gina's Unique Boutique

And some more needle minders (because I didn't have enough, haha). Needle minders have become a bit of an obsession for me. I have, uh, some (I won't even lie by saying a few; it's definitely more than that! LOL). For anyone not familiar with them, each of these beautiful things has a rare earth magnet glued to the back, and there is a second "loose" magnet to go with it. You separate the loose magnet from the front piece, put the decorative one on the front of your fabric and the loose magnet on the back of your fabric, sandwiching your piece in between. You've probably seen some of my other ones in my various WIP pictures. Then you put your needle on it when you're not using it (clipping thread, getting out a new color, whatever) to "mind your needle" and keep it secure. Please please PLEASE don't put your needle in your mouth! I used to do that all the time, but this article scared me straight. You can also use the minders to hold your pattern, if you so choose. Plus, who doesn't love sparkly blingy things, right? I have gotten over 80% of my collection from Gina's Unique Boutique (no affiliation, just a happy customer), but many needlework shops both online and in real life carry them. Gina is really great to work with, though, and she ships quickly, but due to the strong magnets, the packages sometimes take a while to arrive (I've had some arrive in 2-3 days, I've had others take 2-3 weeks). I know I sound like a commercial, but I just love mine. They make me so happy just to look at them and see them sparkling and shining on my work!

So that's it for me this month. Hopefully, I'll have some decent progress to show you the next time we meet. Until then, happy stitching!

Currently feeling: embarrassed at my pitiful progress